A chip has yet to be made that’s too large to fit on second baseman Dustin Pedroia’s shoulders, which is one reason why the former Arizona State Sun Devil emerged from the 2007 season as the American League Rookie of the Year.

“He’s got the little-guy syndrome,” Red Sox teammate Eric Hinske told Boston Sports Review. “People have told him his whole life, ‘You’re too small [depending on which roster you check, Pedroia is generously listed as standing 5-9 and weighing 180 pounds]. You’re too slow.’ And he goes out and performs and hits .300 every year.”

Pedroia did better than hit .300 this season. He hit .317 with 86 runs scored, 39 doubles, eight home runs and 50 RBI. He also compiled a glittering .990 fielding percentage, committing only six errors in 675 total chances while displaying great range that frustrated numerous batters.

For his efforts, he received 24 of 28 firstplace votes in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting. He also received four second-place votes for a total of 132 points. Tampa Bay outfielder Delmon Young was a distant second with 56 points.

Pedroia became the fourth Sun Devil to be named Rookie of the Year, joining Pat Listach (Milwaukee, 1992), Alvin Davis (Seattle, 1984) and Bob Horner (Atlanta, 1978).

He also earned the distinction of being the 19th Sun Devil to play in the Fall Classic and the 12th to win a championship ring. During Boston’s run to the World Series championship, Pedroia batted .283 with 12 runs scored, two homers and 10 RBI in 14 games. He was at his best in helping the Red Sox overcome a 3-1 deficit to Cleveland in the AL Championship Series, batting .345 (10 for 29) with eight runs scored, a homer and five RBI.

Gritty (he’s the epitome of the Boston “dirt dog” image; if his uniform isn’t dirty at game’s end, he’s disappointed), determined, confident (almost to the point of being arrogant) and intense. Take your pick but all are applicable when describing Pedroia, whose critics were calling for manager Terry Francona to bench him in favor of Alex Cora when he stumbled out of the starting gate and batted a Mendoza Line-like .172 through early May with a brutal .518 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage).

But over the next three months Pedroia torched AL pitching for a .350 average, replete with a .910 OPS and more extra-base hits (24) than strikeouts (21). In fact, throughout his minor league career, Pedroia invariably walked more than he struck out, which was a good indication of his knowledge of the strike zone.

Pedroia compiled a superb career at ASU. He was the 2003 National Defensive Player of the Year, one of five finalists for the 2004 Golden Spikes Award, which is presented to the best amateur player in the country, and he was a three-time first-team All-Pac 10selection.

By all accounts, the Red Sox thought they wouldn’t have a shot at him in the 2004 draft, one reason being they lacked a first-round pick because they signed the since-departed pitcher Keith Foulke as a free agent. But come the second round, Boston grabbed him in an eye blink — after 64 players had been selected.

“Dustin had done everything he could possibly do to prove from an ability standpoint that he could play with anybody,” Boston director of scouting Jason McLeod said. “There’s no other reason why a player of his caliber, who performed the way he did at the high level that he did perform at, should be there at that pick — other than the fact that he’s 5-7 and he doesn’t run very fast.”

Then again, Pedroia’s opinion of major league scouts plus two bucks will buy you a cup of coffee.

“I don’t listen to scouts,” Pedroia said in a massive understatement. “If they could play, I’m sure they would do that instead of judging players. I don’t care what people think. I just care about what my teammates think about me. I don’t listen to any of that other stuff.

“Boston is one of the biggest markets, and everybody thinks that they know everything. They didn’t want me to play at the beginning of the year. After I showed what I could do, it was great to overcome that.”